Bababa International

Profile: Bababa International

Bababa International are a Sydney based contemporary art collective whose creative projects engage audiences to actively participate in the art making process. For some time now, Bababa International have been concerned with the failures of public space, and are constantly bemused by the vigorous pursuit to change public space into an impressionistic and galvanised domain. Past projects include: operating a temporary soap factory in a gallery space to accompany the rooftop shower that they set up nearby for their project; running a kitchen out of a gallery and for no currency other than curiosity a visitor could purchase handmade curry, with free delivery to anywhere in Sydney; and setting up a mani pedi salon in Hong Kong for Indonesian workers.

Bababa are quick to point out that although their works have involved a high level of physicality and some extent of endurance, they are not performance works. Instead, the projects pursued by the collective all aim to create experiences for an audience that they would not encounter ordinarily, events that go beyond stunts and challenge people to engage and interact with the work to give it meaning.

While their practice was born out of the complexities and contradiction of the built environment, recent activities incorporate a wide group of collaborators working to articulate the common ground shared between cities. Indeed, their ongoing actions rethink distinctions between online and ‘real world’ design, encouraging an understanding of the shifting experiences and narratives that are informed by, and inform, public space.

Bababa International consists of artists, architects and illustrators who are now spread across the world. Their CV reads as a long list of 12 members, including their website administrator (based in Mumbai), and a server maintenance technician (living in Kiev). They have been shown in solo exhibitions both in Australia and overseas, Sydney, Melbourne, Hong Kong, as well as in the Ljubljana Biennale of Graphic Arts, Slovenia.